Swap file is wrong size SP2

[Cory]

I have my swap file custom set to 1024 but the interface says that 766mb is
allocated, that is also the recommended amount. If I change my custom size
and hit the set button it causes the paging size to change under the drive
list, but it never takes effect. Is this a known bug with SP2 and is there a
fix?

 

[PsyB]

You swap file should equal 1 and 1.2 size the actual RAM in your
system. Too small is inefficient and too big makes your system put too
much junk in there, slowing the system down. Keep in mind that the
swapfile is dynamic, it only occupies the space it actually needs at the
moment.

 

[PsyB]

Whoops:

You swap file should equal one and a half size the actual RAM in
your system. Too small is inefficient and too big makes your system put
too much junk in there, slowing the system down. Keep in mind that the
swapfile is dynamic, it only occupies the space it actually needs at the
moment.

 

[Cory]

OK well I have 512mb of memory so by what you are saying mine is the right
size, however that is not the problem. The problem is I cannot change it. It
will change to the custom size I want which is 1024. When I change it, it
tells me I will need to reboot for the changes to take effect, I reboot, and
when I check the interface it shows that 1024 is my custom size but only 766
is allocated. So the question remains why can I not get windows to use my
custom setting? Does anyone know where this is stored in the registry so I
can verify the correct settings are there?

Thanks

Whoops:

You swap file should equal one and a half size the actual RAM in your
system. Too small is inefficient and too big makes your system put too
much junk in there, slowing the system down. Keep in mind that the
swapfile is dynamic, it only occupies the space it actually needs at the
moment.


--
-=[PsyB]=-

I have my swap file custom set to 1024 but the interface says that 766mb
is
allocated, that is also the recommended amount. If I change my custom
size
and hit the set button it causes the paging size to change under the
drive
list, but it never takes effect. Is this a known bug with SP2 and is
there a
fix?

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

That is a fallacy - would you set your minimum swap to 3GB if you have 2GB
of ram installed? I know what the recommendations read, but they are wrong
in some cases. The recommendation is based solely on having space available
for a full memory dump in the event of system failure. Most home users will
never need this, and even if they had a full memory dump would not know what
to do with it. Most home users will be fine with a minidump and a small
initial swap file. If they have insufficient ram for the system, the
pagefile will quickly expand to accomodate the needs of the system (provided
there is sufficient drive space).

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

Whoops:

You swap file should equal one and a half size the actual RAM in your
system. Too small is inefficient and too big makes your system put too
much junk in there, slowing the system down. Keep in mind that the
swapfile is dynamic, it only occupies the space it actually needs at the
moment.


--
-=[PsyB]=-

I have my swap file custom set to 1024 but the interface says that 766mb
is
allocated, that is also the recommended amount. If I change my custom
size
and hit the set button it causes the paging size to change under the
drive
list, but it never takes effect. Is this a known bug with SP2 and is
there a
fix?

 

[PsyB]

And using deductive reasoning we can surmise that this person was
referring to a Home installation where the 1.5 setting would be
accurate, no? Windows setting the swap on it's own to 766 alluded to the
size of the memory he had -therefore it is not a fallacy, but proper
reasoning in his case.

 

[PsyB]

Are you forcing it to have both low and high ends? For example are you
setting initial size to 1024 and Maximum size to 1024? If not, the value
will change between say 512 and 1024 as needed. If you fix them both at
1024MB you should see it take exactly 1024 at all times.

--
-=[PsyB]=-

OK well I have 512mb of memory so by what you are saying mine is the right
size, however that is not the problem. The problem is I cannot change it. It
will change to the custom size I want which is 1024. When I change it, it
tells me I will need to reboot for the changes to take effect, I reboot, and
when I check the interface it shows that 1024 is my custom size but only 766
is allocated. So the question remains why can I not get windows to use my
custom setting? Does anyone know where this is stored in the registry so I
can verify the correct settings are there?

Thanks

Whoops:

You swap file should equal one and a half size the actual RAM in your
system. Too small is inefficient and too big makes your system put too
much junk in there, slowing the system down. Keep in mind that the
swapfile is dynamic, it only occupies the space it actually needs at the
moment.


--
-=[PsyB]=-

Cory wrote:

I have my swap file custom set to 1024 but the interface says that 766mb
is
allocated, that is also the recommended amount. If I change my custom
size
and hit the set button it causes the paging size to change under the
drive
list, but it never takes effect. Is this a known bug with SP2 and is
there a
fix?

 

[Cory]

I should have specified, but yes I am specifying the same amount for initial
and maximum for testing, which should force the swap to always be 1024 but
still it is 766. I looked at the actual pagefile.sys file and it is 766 in
case windows was reporting the size wrong.

Are you forcing it to have both low and high ends? For example are you
setting initial size to 1024 and Maximum size to 1024? If not, the value
will change between say 512 and 1024 as needed. If you fix them both at
1024MB you should see it take exactly 1024 at all times.

--
-=[PsyB]=-

OK well I have 512mb of memory so by what you are saying mine is the
right size, however that is not the problem. The problem is I cannot
change it. It will change to the custom size I want which is 1024. When I
change it, it tells me I will need to reboot for the changes to take
effect, I reboot, and when I check the interface it shows that 1024 is my
custom size but only 766 is allocated. So the question remains why can I
not get windows to use my custom setting? Does anyone know where this is
stored in the registry so I can verify the correct settings are there?

Thanks

Whoops:

You swap file should equal one and a half size the actual RAM in your
system. Too small is inefficient and too big makes your system put too
much junk in there, slowing the system down. Keep in mind that the
swapfile is dynamic, it only occupies the space it actually needs at the
moment.


--
-=[PsyB]=-

Cory wrote:


I have my swap file custom set to 1024 but the interface says that 766mb
is
allocated, that is also the recommended amount. If I change my custom
size
and hit the set button it causes the paging size to change under the
drive
list, but it never takes effect. Is this a known bug with SP2 and is
there a
fix?

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

<sigh>

Deductive reasoning would tell us that the OP has 512MB of ram if the system
default pagefile size is 766. I saw nothing to indicate if this is a home or
corporate system, but a fair majority of the questions here are from home
users, so it's usually a safe assumption that this is what we are dealing
with. What I was trying to get across is that that recommendation
(Microsoft's) of 1.5 times the ram size as a minimum initial pagefile size
is totally unnecessary in a fair share of the cases. I say this because the
recommendation is based on the presumption of a need for a full memory dump.
For home users, this just is not so.

Anyhow, if the OP is doing some heavy video editing or similar, then setting
a large initial size is fine, but otherwise totally unnecessary. Their
problem may stem from not rebooting immediately after making changes
(necessary for them to take effect), or not disabling the system volume
pagefile. I would try to resolve it by first disabling the pagefile on all
drives, rebooting, then setting the one I want.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

And using deductive reasoning we can surmise that this person was
referring to a Home installation where the 1.5 setting would be accurate,
no? Windows setting the swap on it's own to 766 alluded to the size of the
memory he had -therefore it is not a fallacy, but proper reasoning in his
case.

--
-=[PsyB]=-

That is a fallacy - would you set your minimum swap to 3GB if you have
2GB of ram installed? I know what the recommendations read, but they are
wrong in some cases. The recommendation is based solely on having space
available for a full memory dump in the event of system failure. Most
home users will never need this, and even if they had a full memory dump
would not know what to do with it. Most home users will be fine with a
minidump and a small initial swap file. If they have insufficient ram for
the system, the pagefile will quickly expand to accomodate the needs of
the system (provided there is sufficient drive space).